Question:
I can't find anyplace any talk about whether avoiding severe stress can
head off a subsequent depression; or whether it comes at you anyways so
you might as well carry on, whatever you do is absolutely irrelevant to
when your number comes up.
I've had about 6 severe winter depressions (enough to place school or job
in jeoparday and me entirely out of social contact) over 15 years, but the
last 3 have been annually. So even though I feel pretty good right now, I
still feel like I have a gun pointed at my head. If there is some way I
Answer:
Stress sure can bring on the worst. Well it can for some of us. I suggest
you learn about meditation and breathing exercises to help make it through
the day. It has helped me to not let the stress get as bad as it used to.
I aslo do visualization work that lets me be someplace else when things
get me very stressed and that lets me release a lot of it. There are lots
of books on this and I'm sure you will find the right one for you
Stress is certainly a factor, but it's not all of it. I don't do
very well under conditions of severe stress--I have panic attacks when
I get streesed out, making working in the real world very hard.
However, I also have clinical depression and PTSD. Depression doesn't
really seem to care whether I'm stressed out or not. I get depressed.
We do know,though, that my depression is cyclical, but not predictable.
I agree, however, that meditation and breathing exercises help. Visualizations
also help. Whenever you feel stressed, imagine the most pleasant
thing that you can,whether it be a setting (walking in the woods, on
For me, stress makes no difference unless I am already a bit depressed.
I can`t tolerate stress when down, it makes me work even less. If I`m OK,
it doesn`t matter.
Do your depressions always come at the same time of year? You say "winter
depression"; does that mean you get depressed in fall, or in winter, and
get better when spring comes? If so, you might tell your boss you need a
reduced work load, or to be able to avoid certain situations, those
months when you tend to be depressed (say, Dec. - March if you get
depressed in Jan.). That might help
As always, this is just my opinion, but I feel better when I hit my stress
head on ... "the anticipation is almost always worse than the event
itself."
In answer to this question, yes, it has been my experience that avoiding
severe, longterm stress does help avoid or lessen the severity and
duration of depressive episodes.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, unless I'm at the absolute bottom of
the Pit, having *some* stress and reasonable responsibility in my life
